onefrombills
03-03-2009, 09:14 PM
LAS VEGAS - Bowlers travel to the USBC Open Championships each year for a variety of reasons including prestige, competition, camaraderie, prize money and vacation, but regardless of the reason, the common goal simply is to knock down as many pins as possible.
At Cashman Center on Monday, Stace Bohlender of Lawton, Okla., and his Holiday Bowl 2 teammates knocked down more pins than any other bowlers at this year's Open Championships, and they now lead Regular All-Events and Team All-Events, respectively.
Bohlender started with a 719 set in team Sunday and added 731 in singles and 625 in doubles Monday for a 2,075 all-events total. He cracked the top 10 in every event and is fifth in Regular Singles, sixth in Regular Team (3,005) and eighth in Regular Doubles with Steve Ray of Plano, Texas (1,307).
Bohlender's all-events efforts helped Holiday Bowl 2 to a 9,477 Team All-Events total. Steven Hauk contributed 1,964 and was followed by Steve Ray (1,906), Kelly Ray (1,790) and Rick Justice (1,742). Nobody's Pro Shop of Yorktown, Va., previously held the lead with 9,226. Hauk and Kelly Ray are third in Regular Doubles with 1,337, and Hauk is eighth in Regular All-Events.
"It's nice to come here and do well, and even though the prize money is nice, it's also about the prestige of winning an eagle and having your name in the record books," said Bohlender, who has averaged 210.38 for his 13 tournament appearances and topped his previous high all-events total by 50 pins. "Overall, I feel like I threw the ball well, and I'm happy about going home in the lead."
Prior to competing at the Open Championships, Bohlender bowled at the USBC/Storm Bowlers Journal Championships being held at the nearby Gold Coast Casino and Hotel and heard from a friend that he could play the lanes at Cashman Center similarly with some minor adjustments.
The 32-year-old right-hander decided he would play the same part of the lane, but keep his speed a little softer at Cashman Center than he did at the Gold Coast, and the plan clearly paid off.
After bowling well in team, Bohlender started doubles and singles in the same place with the same ball and slowly migrated left from there. But despite his effective strategy and success on the lanes, he knows he left some pins on the lanes and carrying a few more shots would've been the difference between a great score and a winning score.
"I always try to knock down every pin I can, but my ultimate goal each year is 2, 100," Bohlender said. "I know my score isn't going to win, but I did the best I could and hope to finish pretty high in the standings."
On Sunday night, Craig Diver of Spring, Texas, flirted with tournament history and nearly became the second bowler in 106 years to record 90 clean frames, but two miscues in his final game left him just short with 88 clean frames.
Four-time Open Championships titlist Jeff Richgels of Oregon, Wis., is the only bowler to achieve the feat. He filled every frame on the way to the Regular All-Events title in 1997 (2,241).
"I didn't know only one person had ever done that, especially with all of the 800s and other great scores that have been shot here," said Diver who finished with 694 in team, 686 in doubles and 608 in singles for a 1,988 total and sixth place in Regular All-Events. "I tried not to let the pressure get to me. This is the best nine-game set I've shot here, and I'm happy with the way it turned out."
Presenting sponsors for the 2009 USBC Open Championships are the Coast Casinos in Las Vegas and the Eldorado Hotel Casino, Silver Legacy Resort Casino and Circus Circus in Reno, Nev. Other participating sponsors are Kegel, official lane maintenance provider; Brunswick, capital equipment supplier; Storm Products, Inc.; Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel and Four Queens Hotel and Casino, the official brackets sponsors; Sapphire Gentleman's Club; Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino; MGM Mirage; Jerry's Nugget Casino and Fitzgerald's Casino and Hotel.
At Cashman Center on Monday, Stace Bohlender of Lawton, Okla., and his Holiday Bowl 2 teammates knocked down more pins than any other bowlers at this year's Open Championships, and they now lead Regular All-Events and Team All-Events, respectively.
Bohlender started with a 719 set in team Sunday and added 731 in singles and 625 in doubles Monday for a 2,075 all-events total. He cracked the top 10 in every event and is fifth in Regular Singles, sixth in Regular Team (3,005) and eighth in Regular Doubles with Steve Ray of Plano, Texas (1,307).
Bohlender's all-events efforts helped Holiday Bowl 2 to a 9,477 Team All-Events total. Steven Hauk contributed 1,964 and was followed by Steve Ray (1,906), Kelly Ray (1,790) and Rick Justice (1,742). Nobody's Pro Shop of Yorktown, Va., previously held the lead with 9,226. Hauk and Kelly Ray are third in Regular Doubles with 1,337, and Hauk is eighth in Regular All-Events.
"It's nice to come here and do well, and even though the prize money is nice, it's also about the prestige of winning an eagle and having your name in the record books," said Bohlender, who has averaged 210.38 for his 13 tournament appearances and topped his previous high all-events total by 50 pins. "Overall, I feel like I threw the ball well, and I'm happy about going home in the lead."
Prior to competing at the Open Championships, Bohlender bowled at the USBC/Storm Bowlers Journal Championships being held at the nearby Gold Coast Casino and Hotel and heard from a friend that he could play the lanes at Cashman Center similarly with some minor adjustments.
The 32-year-old right-hander decided he would play the same part of the lane, but keep his speed a little softer at Cashman Center than he did at the Gold Coast, and the plan clearly paid off.
After bowling well in team, Bohlender started doubles and singles in the same place with the same ball and slowly migrated left from there. But despite his effective strategy and success on the lanes, he knows he left some pins on the lanes and carrying a few more shots would've been the difference between a great score and a winning score.
"I always try to knock down every pin I can, but my ultimate goal each year is 2, 100," Bohlender said. "I know my score isn't going to win, but I did the best I could and hope to finish pretty high in the standings."
On Sunday night, Craig Diver of Spring, Texas, flirted with tournament history and nearly became the second bowler in 106 years to record 90 clean frames, but two miscues in his final game left him just short with 88 clean frames.
Four-time Open Championships titlist Jeff Richgels of Oregon, Wis., is the only bowler to achieve the feat. He filled every frame on the way to the Regular All-Events title in 1997 (2,241).
"I didn't know only one person had ever done that, especially with all of the 800s and other great scores that have been shot here," said Diver who finished with 694 in team, 686 in doubles and 608 in singles for a 1,988 total and sixth place in Regular All-Events. "I tried not to let the pressure get to me. This is the best nine-game set I've shot here, and I'm happy with the way it turned out."
Presenting sponsors for the 2009 USBC Open Championships are the Coast Casinos in Las Vegas and the Eldorado Hotel Casino, Silver Legacy Resort Casino and Circus Circus in Reno, Nev. Other participating sponsors are Kegel, official lane maintenance provider; Brunswick, capital equipment supplier; Storm Products, Inc.; Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel and Four Queens Hotel and Casino, the official brackets sponsors; Sapphire Gentleman's Club; Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino; MGM Mirage; Jerry's Nugget Casino and Fitzgerald's Casino and Hotel.